How Best to Light Up Your Home’s Exterior for the Summer: Some Top Tips

Your home should be a haven of comfort. It is, after all, where you spend almost all of your time (apart from your workplace, that is), and it is the place where you sleep, eat, relax, entertain, and have fun. It’s your own special place – a place where you can go at the end of the day and be yourself. It’s important to set your home up in such a way that it can give you ultimate comfort. There’s also something to be said about making sure your home is aesthetically-pleasing in every way. Your house’s look and feel sets the mood for the entire family, and if it is a haven of comfort, safety, efficiency, and practicality, not to mention a place of beauty, then you can truly call it your ‘home’.

This is where the proper lighting comes into play. The furniture and décor you choose for your home make a big difference, there’s no denying it, but the lighting plays an essential role as well. With the proper lighting, your home can look more inviting and welcoming, and you can also be more efficient. This goes not only for the interior of your home but also for its exterior. Here, then, is your guide on how best to light up your home’s exterior for the summer season: some top tips.

Layer it

If you have a yard or front garden, wouldn’t it be nice to make it as pleasant as possible with the right lighting? Whilst the proper landscaping is crucial, the lighting you use for your front garden is important as well. The first step is to layer your lighting. Combine task lighting with ambient lighting around your garden to add layers of light that will magically enhance the place at night. Task lighting enhances the security of your property, whilst ambient lighting lends your front garden a warm glow in the evening. You should also make use of accent lighting for your front garden, such as strip lights, spotlights, and, if you have a water feature (such as a fountain or pond), specific lighting for this feature as well.

Guide your guests

Another way to effectively light up your exterior during this warmer season is to set lights strategically along a path leading to your front door. You can do this with path lighting, but make sure the lighting is not too glaring; opt for warmer lights that don’t exhibit too much glare, as you don’t want your guests to be unnecessarily startled. Additionally, make it a point to choose path lighting which has the lights pointing downwards rather than upwards. Also, try not to install the lights in a straight manner or all in a row – have them wind through bushes or plants so as not to give your front path the look of an airport runway.

Low-voltage lights do the trick

If you have a dark and dim area in your garden or front yard, you can choose to light it up with low-voltage lights. What’s great about low-voltage lights is that it’s easy to install them yourself, and they’re also inexpensive yet effective at highlighting some of your prized plants and shrubs.

Light up your trees

Who’s to say that lighting can only be installed along walkways and paths, or around bushes and plants? You can also install lighting specifically to highlight your trees, especially if you have a prominent tree in your front garden. Use spotlights to light up a tree or two and make these trees unique focal points for your garden. The lighting serves to give the tree’s foliage a pleasant glow and draws attention to the texture of the tree’s trunk as well. When putting up spotlights for your trees, make sure their beams are not positioned at your neighbours’ homes or pointing at your own windows.

Install the right entry lights

Of course, you shouldn’t forget your entry lights, either. When it comes to lights for your entryway, make sure they offer the proper combination of safety as well as aesthetic appeal. The lights should highlight any hazards, such as steps or garden accessories. When choosing entryway lighting, take your cues from the design of your home so the lighting can compliment your home’s overall theme and style.

The efficiency of step lighting

If you have steps leading from your home to your back garden or from your front door to your front yard, you can enhance the safety of your family and guests even further by installing step lighting on the risers. These step lights can provide just the right amount of lighting to guide anyone walking up or down the steps, as they mark each step. They aren’t too glaring either.

A warm glow with downlights

Those with an outdoor living space such as a conservatory, terrace, or veranda can certainly benefit from downlights, particularly during the warmer nights of summer. Have downlights mounted on the wall in order to create a warm glow over the surrounding area. When installing downlights on the wall, make sure they are wired properly – a professional can take care of this for you.

The beauty of underwater lights

If you are fortunate enough to have a water feature such as a pond, why not make use of underwater lighting as well? Underwater lights can illuminate and show off your aquatic treasures, such as plants and fish, in the evening. One additional tip: make sure that the lighting fixtures you choose have been rated for use underwater.

Enhance safety with lights that detect motion

You can also choose to make your home more secure by installing special lights which can detect motion, especially in areas near your garage door, back door, and side doors. These areas are more at risk of security breaches and unauthorised access, and motion-sensing lighting can protect these areas with lighting for brief periods (very handy if you don’t want to illuminate your garage area and back door the entire night).

Having an exterior that is well-lit can go a long way in helping you feel safe and secure in your own abode. Another bonus is that your home will look more inviting and attractive as well. There’s no doubt that with the right exterior lighting, your home will be a haven of safety, beauty, and practicality, all in one.